Improving biodegradation potential of domestic wastewater by manipulating the size distribution of organic matter

Carbon source is a critical constraint on nutrient removal in domestic wastewater treatment. However, the functions of particulate organic matter (POM) and some organics with high molecular weight (HMW) are overlooked in the conventional process, as they cannot be directly assimilated into cells during microbial metabolism. This further aggravates the problem of carbon source shortage and thus affects the effluent quality. Therefore, to better characterize organic matter (OM) based MW distribution, microfiltration/ultrafiltration/nanofiltration (MF/UF/NF) membranes were used in parallel to fractionate OM, which obtained seven fractions. Hydrolysis acidification (HA) was adopted to manipulate the MW distribution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and further explore the correlation between molecular size and biodegradability. Results showed that HA pretreatment of wastewater not only promoted transformation from POM to DOM, but also boosted biodegradability. After 8 hr of HA, the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) increased by 65%, from the initial value of 20.25 to 33.48 mg/L, and the biodegradability index (BOD5 (biochemical oxygen demand)/SCOD (soluble chemical oxygen demand)) increased from 0.52 to 0.74. Using MW distribution analysis and composition optimization, a new understanding on the characteristics of organics in wastewater was obtained, which is of importance to solving low C/N wastewater treatment in engineering practice.     

碳排放核算方法概述与比较研究

全球气候变化是当今全球关注的焦点和研究热点,碳排放核算对温室气体减排和控制具有重要意义。对当前碳排放核算方法进行了概述,介绍了各核算方法的基本原理和方法,并分析了各核算方法的特点,将为碳排放核算及其方法的选取提供参考依据。     

秦皇岛市大气颗粒物来源解析研究

对秦皇岛海港区和山海关区的颗粒物来源进行了定性识别和定量解析。并考察了重点污染源——我国最大的煤码头秦皇岛港煤码头对市区扬尘和TSP中的碳的影响。得出秦皇岛市海港区和山海关区TSP主要来源为风沙、扬尘,其次为燃煤飞灰和海盐尘。气象条件特别是风向对TSP各源分担率的影响很大,秦皇岛市煤码头是该区域TSP中碳的主要来源。不同气象条件下,煤码头对海港区和山海关区的影响程度明显不一样。      

联合式催化剂用于低温下一氧化碳和氢的共同消除

采用联合式催化剂新技术,在低温下进行了一氧化碳和氢化同消除的试验,通过实验考察取得了良好的效果。     

低浓度二氧化碳检测管的研制

应用活性氧铝—百里香酚酞吸附ＣＯ２线性比长法研制出低浓度ＣＯ２检测管。测定范围０．０５～０．９０％;灵敏度为０．０５％;检测管变色长度与ＣＯ２浓度的相关系数γ＝０．９９８１,精密度与准确度符合国家标准８３ＧＢ７２２０～７２８０。其可靠性与经典的何氏气体分析器比较,结果基本一致。低浓度的ＳＯ２、Ｈ２Ｓ和ＮＨ３对测定无明显干扰,现场监测应用效果可靠,值得推广应用。     

Insights into the electron transfer mechanisms of permanganate activation by carbon nanotube membrane for enhanced micropollutants degradation

● A CNT filter enabled effective KMnO₄ activation via facilitated electron transfer. ● Ultra-fast degradation of micropollutants were achieved in KMnO₄/CNT system. ● CNT mediated electron transfer process from electron-rich molecules to KMnO₄. ● Electron transfer dominated organic degradation. Numerous reagents have been proposed as electron sacrificers to induce the decomposition of permanganate (KMnO₄) by producing highly reactive Mn species for micropollutants degradation. However, this strategy can lead to low KMnO₄ utilization efficiency due to limitations associated with poor mass transport and high energy consumption. In the present study, we rationally designed a catalytic carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane for KMnO₄ activation toward enhanced degradation of micropollutants. The proposed flow-through system outperformed conventional batch reactor owing to the improved mass transfer via convection. Under optimal conditionals, a > 70% removal (equivalent to an oxidation flux of 2.43 mmol/(h·m²)) of 80 μmol/L sulfamethoxazole (SMX) solution can be achieved at single-pass mode. The experimental analysis and DFT studies verified that CNT could mediate direct electron transfer from organic molecules to KMnO₄, resulting in a high utilization efficiency of KMnO₄. Furthermore, the KMnO₄/CNT system had outstanding reusability and CNT could maintain a long-lasting reactivity, which served as a green strategy for the remediation of micropollutants in a sustainable manner. This study provides new insights into the electron transfer mechanisms and unveils the advantages of effective KMnO₄ utilization in the KMnO₄/CNT system for environmental remediation.     

China’s carbon neutrality: an extensive and profound systemic reform

● China has pledged ambitious carbon peak and neutrality goals for mitigating global climate change. ● Major challenges to achieve carbon neutrality in China are summarized. ● The new opportunities along the pathway of China’s carbon neutrality are discussed from four aspects. ● Five policy suggestions for China are provided. China is the largest developing economy and carbon dioxide emitter in the world, the carbon neutrality goal of which will have a profound influence on the mitigation pathway of global climate change. The transition towards a carbon-neutral society is integrated into the construction of ecological civilization in China, and brings profound implications for China’s socioeconomic development. Here, we not only summarize the major challenges in achieving carbon neutrality in China, but also identify the four potential new opportunities: namely, the acceleration of technology innovations, narrowing regional disparity by reshaping the value of resources, transforming the industrial structure, and co-benefits of pollution and carbon mitigation. Finally, we provide five policy suggestions and highlight the importance of balancing economic growth and carbon mitigation, and the joint efforts among the government, the enterprises, and the residents.     

Carbon dioxide and methane emission from subsurface peatlands and its controlling factors北大核心CSCD

Peatland is an efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) sink on the continent and plays an important role in global carbon cycle. Climate change and human activities, two of the notable global environmental issues, have accelerated the degradation of peatlands during recent years. Global warming will increase the rate of aerobic decomposition in the surface of peatlands. Carbon stored in the subsurface of peatlands will be metabolized if the climatic conditions become favorable for decomposition. This study reviewed the carbon circle of subsurface peatland in natural environment and in environments disturbed by human activity or climate change. Furthermore, the major factors (environmental and human factors) that affect the carbon cycle were also discussed. According to a previous study, subsurface peatland will rapidly participate in the carbon cycle when the peatland is degraded. Water level, vegetation, and temperature were the main natural factors affecting the carbon cycle, whereas drainage, farming, and grazing were the main anthropogenic factors. Further studies should focus on different soil layer carbon dynamics, inorganic carbon content, and conservation and restoration of peatlands. The study methods should be a combination of macro with micro scale and focus on developing deep peat research techniques. Most of the previous studies focused on greenhouse gas emission and their response factors in short-term experiments. Thus, the mechanism and process of subsurface carbon are not clear and needs further study. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

碳纳米管催化电极处理难降解有机物研究进展

难降解有机物严重污染环境和威胁人类身体健康,因此难降解有机物的治理技术研究是目前水污染防治研究的热点与难点。碳纳米管(CNTs)由于具有独特的一维结构、良好的化学稳定性、优异的电荷传导性能以及独特的电学性能,近些年被广泛应用做电极材料。介绍了碳纳米管的电化学特性,对碳纳米管催化电极的制备、催化反应机理及其在有机污染物处理过程中的应用进行了概述,并对其应用前景进行了展望。     

Optimal timing of carbon capture policies under learning-by-doing

Using a standard Hotelling model of resource exploitation, we determine the optimal energy consumption paths from three options: dirty coal, which is non-renewable and carbon-emitting; clean coal, which is also non-renewable but carbon-free thanks to carbon capture and storage (CCS); and solar energy, which is renewable and carbon-free. We assume that the atmospheric carbon stock cannot exceed an exogenously given ceiling. Taking into account learning-by-doing in CCS technology, we show the following results: (i) clean coal exploitation cannot begin before the outset of the carbon constrained phase and must stop strictly before the end of this phase; (ii) the energy price path can evolve non-monotonically over time; and (iii) when the solar cost is low enough, an unusual energy consumption sequence along with solar energy is interrupted for some time and replacement by clean coal may exist.